Question
How long does an IQ test take?
Short answer
It depends on the test. A full clinical IQ test such as the WAIS-5 takes about 45 to 60 minutes of testing, the WISC-V about 60 minutes, and brief screeners about 20 minutes. Mensa’s admission test takes one to two hours. The IQ Octopus test takes about 12 minutes for most people.
Want your own number? The test is 25 visual puzzles, about 12 minutes, no sign-up.
Testing times for well-known IQ tests
| Test | Typical testing time |
|---|---|
| WAIS-5 (ages 16 to 90) | About 45 minutes for the Full Scale IQ, 60 for all primary indexes (Pearson: WAIS-5) |
| WAIS-IV | 60 to 90 minutes for the core subtests (Pearson: WAIS-IV) |
| WISC-V (ages 6 to 16) | About 60 minutes for the core subtests (Pearson: WISC-V) |
| WPPSI-IV (ages 2:6 to 7:7) | 30 to 60 minutes, depending on age (Pearson: WPPSI-IV) |
| Stanford-Binet 5 | About 5 minutes per subtest, 10 subtests (PRO-ED: SB5) |
| KBIT-2 | About 20 minutes (Pearson: KBIT-2) |
| RIAS-2 | About 20 to 25 minutes for the intelligence part (PAR: RIAS-2) |
| Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices | Untimed, typically 20 to 45 minutes (Pearson: Raven's brochure) |
| American Mensa admission test | One to two hours (American Mensa: testing) |
| British Mensa supervised test | 2 1/4 hours (British Mensa: test your IQ) |
Why clinical appointments run longer
The figures above are testing time. A real appointment adds an interview, breaks, and often other tests. Cleveland Clinic notes that neuropsychological testing often takes several hours and is given by a trained technician working under a neuropsychologist (Cleveland Clinic: neuropsychological testing). Scoring and writing the report happen afterward.
Try one · Spatial Reasoning
Which option is the same shape, only rotated?
Tap the option you think is right, or show the answer.
Show the answer
Option 3 is the original figure turned a half turn.
How to solve it
- Pick a landmark: the marked cell or the end of the longest arm.
- Turn the figure in your head and watch where that landmark goes, and which side the other cells end up on.
- Turning the figure a half turn gives option 3.
- Each of the other options is a mirror image: flipping it over would match, but no turn does.
That was 1 puzzle. The full test has 25.
Why length matters
More items give a more precise score, which is why full batteries take an hour or more and brief screeners trade some precision for speed. Newer editions have also tried to shorten testing: the WAIS-5 Full Scale IQ uses seven subtests and can be obtained about 20 minutes faster than with the WAIS-IV (Pearson: WAIS-5).
The IQ Octopus test
Our test has 25 generated puzzles in five sections and takes about 12 minutes for most people, with a hard cap of 20 minutes. It gives an estimated IQ with a confidence range, not a clinical result. If you only have a few minutes, the quick IQ test is a 10-question practice run. For what the different tests are, see types of IQ tests.
Sources
- Pearson. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (WAIS-5), product page. 2024. www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Cognition-%26-Neuro/Wechsler-Adult-Intelligence-Scale-%7C-Fifth-Edition/p/P100071002.html
- Pearson. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), product page. 2008. www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Cognition-%26-Neuro/Wechsler-Adult-Intelligence-Scale-%7C-Fourth-Edition/p/100000392.html
- Pearson. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V), product page. 2014. www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Cognition-%26-Neuro/Wechsler-Intelligence-Scale-for-Children-%7C-Fifth-Edition/p/100000771.html
- Pearson. Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV), product page. 2012. www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Cognition-%26-Neuro/Wechsler-Preschool-and-Primary-Scale-of-Intelligence-%7C-Fourth-Edition/p/100000102.html
- Roid, G. H. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5), PRO-ED product page. 2003. proedinc.com/products-13290.html
- Pearson. Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition (KBIT-2), product page. www.pearsonassessments.com/store/en/usd/p/100000390.html
- Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, Second Edition (RIAS-2), PAR product page. www.parinc.com/products/RIAS-2
- Pearson. Raven's Progressive Matrices brochure (CPM, SPM, APM). 2014. www.pearsonassessments.com/content/dam/school/global/clinical/us/assets/ravens/ravens-brochure.pdf
- American Mensa. Admission testing. www.us.mensa.org/join/testing/
- British Mensa. Test your IQ / book a test. mensa.org.uk/test-your-iq/
- Cleveland Clinic. Neuropsychological testing and assessment. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/4893-neuropsychological-testing-and-assessment